When Should We Move to Assisted Living or a CCRC?
Category: Life Care or CCRC
This article was originally published in 2021. Updated Sept. 2025 with updates from several people we know, including the couple profiled in the original article.
For most people, the answer to the question when is the right time to move to a Life Care community is, “when I get older”. It pretty much doesn’t matter how old the person is at the time; some undefined date in the future is always the answer. True, a minority make the decision when they are in their 60s or early 70s, but they are the outliers, often with a good reason for doing so.
Good friends
Topretirements has some good friends who have wrestled with this decision for years. Jane and Jack’s current situation illustrated the problem so many people will face. Several years ago he was in his mid 90s and she in her early 80s. She has wanted for some time to move from their town home into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC, often known as a Life Care Community). He, however, was never quite ready. Fortunately, they put a deposit down at a Connecticut CCRC, delayed making a decision to wait for one of the larger units. After a serious medical incident requiring an extended hospital stay with an uncertain future, so they took an available unit. It was not easy downsizing and moving a jam-packed town home’s contents to fit into a much smaller apartment, but with help they did it.
Update Sept. 2025 – Our beloved friend passed at age 98 in July after a steady decline. The couple’s move there worked out great – their life got simpler and he got the care he needed. Jane lives on in the CCRC, very glad she moved there. She has many friends and social engagements – in fact it’s hard to get a dinner date with her!
Comments on "When Should We Move to Assisted Living or a CCRC?"
LS says:
My mother was living in a condo in her early 80's when she began looking for someplace that would be easier on her as she aged. I don't know if she was Ill at that time or not but she looked into a CCRC. She was not a person of means and the entry fee was steep but she might have been able to handle it. She delayed on the decision until she started to have more medical issues. We looked at independent living facilities in the area and she chose one that also had assisted living. Within 6 months of entering the facility, she had to go to the assisted living section due to being very ill. She had stomach cancer but her doctor either did not know or did not inform her. She died within a couple of weeks of going to assisted living. If she had entered the CCRC, she would have been there less than a year and the entry fee would have been a total waste.
jpk says:
I guess it depends upon where you live. In North Carolina, the CCRCs currently have waiting lists up to 14 years, so it's pretty important to plan ahead!
Admin says:
That are very interesting perspectives. Sometimes CCRCs aren't worth it. If that is the route you want to take, don't wait.